The Penny Parker Megapack: 15 Complete Novels

by Mildred Benson

  “Not a bit.”

  “You don’t think that she went back there and dug it up herself?”

  “We didn’t see any footprints.”

  “How did you mark the place?”

  “By a stick that someone removed.”

  “Not a very reliable way to take observations,”Jerry remarked. “Ever try the clock system?”

  The girls looked blank.

  “For example,” Jerry illustrated, “imagine that the landscape is like the face of a clock. Now what do you see on the hour of two?”

  “I don’t get it,” Louise complained.

  “Oh, I do!” laughed Penny. “A big tree!”

  “That’s right,” agreed Jerry. “And at the hour of six?”

  “Why, a signboard!” chuckled Penny. “At the hour of seven there’s a big sand dune!”

  “If you picture things in your mind as if they’re on the face of a clock it’s much easier to remember and keep them in proper proportion. Now, using that same system can you recall anything more about the place where Mrs. Deline buried the package?”

  “Not very much,” Penny admitted. “I didn’t take notations at the time.”

  “Speaking of signboards, I remember one,” Louise said thoughtfully. “It was a long distance back from the beach, slightly to the right. A cigarette advertisement.”

  “That’s right!” agreed Penny.

  “Perhaps that will help some,” Jerry said. “We’ll have to find the package.”

  “Then you believe Mrs. Deline is an Enemy Agent?” Penny asked eagerly.

  “I’ve thought so for quite a while now,” Jerry admitted. “I didn’t say it for fear of building up your hopes. Anyhow, we’ve got to work quietly in this business.”

  “Poor Dad,” Penny murmured, “I’m afraid it will break him up to learn the truth. Do you say I should tell him right away, Jerry?”

  “Why not?” Jerry demanded, his eyes amused. “Your father may have a few things to break to you too, Penny.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “I’ll let your father do his own talking,” Jerry said, getting up from the hotel bench. “Have to go now.”

  “Wait!” Penny pleaded. “You’ve not told us anything. Do you think Mrs. Deline has been aiding that flier who escaped from a Canadian prison camp?”

  Jerry deliberately let the question pass. “Listen!” he said urgently. “I may not see you girls again until after dinner. Want to help me tonight?”

  “Doing what?” Penny asked.

  “I want you to lead me to the place where Mrs. Deline buried that package.”

  “We’ll do our best.”

  “Then if I don’t see you earlier, meet me here at nine o’clock. It should be dark by that time.”

  “We’ll be here,” Penny promised, her eyes glowing.

  At dinner that night the girls told Mr. Parker of their appointment to meet Jerry. Penny would have explained about the package, but before she could do so, Mrs. Deline joined the group. Mr. Parker immediately invited her to dine with them. To the annoyance of Penny and Louise she accepted with alacrity.

  The girls fully expected that Mrs. Deline would make some reference to the incident of the afternoon. Instead she avoided the subject, talking of her experiences in China and the Orient. Despite their prejudice, Penny and Louise were compelled in all honesty to acknowledge to themselves that the widow was a brilliant, entertaining conversationalist.

  Over the coffee cups Mrs. Deline spoke casually of a play which was showing at the local theatre. Before Penny could say a word, Mr. Parker had suggested that he buy tickets for the night’s performance.

  “I’d love to go,” Mrs. Deline accepted instantly.

  “Good!” Mr. Parker, approved. “I’ll get four tickets.”

  “Two,” Penny corrected grimly. “Louise and I already have an appointment.”

  “That’s so,” Mr. Parker recalled belatedly.

  Mrs. Deline looked so pleased that Penny was sorely tempted to abandon the meeting with Jerry. Only the realization that the task ahead was vitally important, kept her silent.

  At eight o’clock Mr. Parker and Mrs. Deline left the hotel for the theatre. With an hour to kill, Penny and Louise were very restless. They read the evening paper and watched the clock.

  “Here’s an interesting news item,” Penny remarked, indicating a brief story on an inner page of the paper. “It says an enemy submarine was sighted not many miles from here—just off the coast.”

  “Did they get it?” Louise inquired absently.

  “I guess not. The story doesn’t say, except that the air patrol dropped bombs.”

  “Wonder what a single sub was doing so close here?” Louise speculated. “Oh, well, we’ve nothing to fear.”

  A clock chimed the hour of nine. On the first stroke, the girls arose and hastened to keep their appointment with Jerry. The night was closing in dark. Along the shore no lights were showing for the dim-out was rigidly enforced at Sunset Beach.

  “Where’s Jerry?” Penny asked as they reached the bench where they had promised to meet him. “Hope he didn’t forget.”

  Ten minutes elapsed. Penny was examining the luminous dial of her wrist watch when someone came striding down the gravel path.

  “Hello,” Jerry greeted the girls. “Sorry to have kept you waiting. All set for adventure?”

  “Lead on!” Penny laughed.

  Taking each of them by an elbow, Jerry guided the girls down the deserted beach. Twice they passed guards who merely stared and allowed them to pass unchallenged.

  “Any news about that code?” Penny questioned as they walked along.

  “It’s a tough one to break,” Jerry replied briefly. “Experts have been trying to take it apart ever since I left you girls this afternoon.”

  “Then it really is something?” Penny asked, scarcely daring to hope.

  “It certainly is,” Jerry replied heartily. “We’re pretty sure now that Mrs. Deline is mixed up in a bad business. But we can’t act until we know absolutely.”

  “This will be a horrible shock to Dad,” Penny remarked. “He’s at the theatre with Mrs. Deline now.”

  “At least she’s out of the way, so there’s no chance she’ll see us at work,” Jerry commented. “Think you can find the place to dig?”

  Penny had marked it well in her mind, but at night everything looked different. After some uncertainty, the girls agreed upon the dune where the package had been buried.

  “With the tide low we’ll have plenty of time,”Jerry said. “Well, let’s go! Was the package buried deep?”

  “Not more than a foot,” Penny supplied.

  “Then if it’s here, we’ll find it. Let’s block this area off and cover it systematically.”

  For an hour the trio toiled. Twice one of the beach guards passed by and Penny was surprised that he paid no heed to what they were doing.

  “Orders!” Jerry chuckled. “You didn’t think we could come out here and prowl around without questions being asked? The guard was tipped off. He’ll help us by whistling if anyone comes this way.”

  Louise, who had been industriously digging, gave a low cry.

  “Find something?” Jerry demanded.

  “I’m not sure. I think so.”

  The next instant Louise lifted a small package from its sand tomb. Before Jerry could warn her, she had torn apart the pasteboard cover.

  “Why, it contains pencils!” she exclaimed in disgust. “Pencils!”

  Jerry leaped to her side. One glance and he took the box from her.

  “Those objects may look like pencils,” he drawled. “But take it from me, they’re a bit more deadly.”

  Penny had moved close. She and Louise stared in awe at the collection.

  “Bombs,” Jerry explained briefly. “One of these little pencils contains enough explosive to blow us all to Kingdom Come!”

  CHAPTER 22

  UNFINISHED BUSINESS

  The cardboard box contai
ned in addition to the pencil bombs a shiny knife and several grooved, pear-shaped objects.

  “What are those?” Louise asked curiously. “They look like hand grenades.”

  “That’s what they are,” said Jerry, lifting one from the box. “It’s a mighty useful weapon for close fighting. A strong man can throw a grenade twenty-five to thirty-five yards and it does damage over a large area.”

  Penny gingerly inspected one of the grenades.

  “It won’t bite you,” Jerry laughed. “Nor will it explode in your hand. When you’re ready to throw a grenade you hold it with the lever under your fingers. Just before you toss it, pull the pin.”

  “Isn’t it apt to explode while you’re holding it?”Penny asked dubiously.

  “Not while the lever is held. When the grenade leaves the hand, the lever flies off. Then the fuse ignites and in about seven seconds you have your explosion.”

  “Nice little gadgets,” Penny said. She replaced the grenade in its box and ran a finger over the sharp edge of the steel-bladed knife.

  “Mrs. Deline evidently planted these weapons here for someone else to use,” Jerry remarked. “We’ll put them back just as they were.”

  “Put them back!” Penny echoed. “Why, Jerry, wouldn’t that be playing right into their hands? Shouldn’t we destroy these things?”

  “No, it’s much wiser to have the place watched.”

  Light dawned upon Penny. “Oh, I see!” she exclaimed. “In that way you hope to learn Mrs. Deline’s accomplices!”

  “Exactly.”

  Jerry replaced everything in the box which he carefully buried in the sand. Then he obliterated all freshly made footmarks.

  “It may be necessary to watch this place for days,” he said thoughtfully.

  “And what of Mrs. Deline?” Penny asked. “Will she be allowed complete freedom?”

  “That’s for my superiors to decide. It seems to me, though, that more is to be gained by allowing her to remain at liberty than by arresting her.”

  “I’m all for jail myself,” said Penny.

  “Just be patient,” Jerry smiled. “And whatever you do, don’t drop a hint to Mrs. Deline of what we suspect.”

  “She knows I dislike her.”

  “That’s all right, but don’t let her guess that you consider her guilty of anything more serious than making a play for your father.”

  “What about Dad? Shouldn’t I warn him?”

  “Let me take care of that part,” Jerry smiled.

  “All right,” Penny agreed reluctantly. “Just be sure that you don’t muff it. Remember, you’re playing with my future!”

  Jerry finished smoothing out the footprints in the sand and then escorted the girls to the hotel.

  “I must report to Headquarters without delay,” he said, pausing at the hotel entrance. “Don’t worry about the package. We’ll have the place watched every minute.”

  After Jerry had gone, Penny and Louise entered the hotel.

  “Is my father here yet?” Penny asked the desk clerk.

  “No, Miss. And there’s a message for him. As soon as he comes in he’s to call Major Gregg.”

  Penny repeated the name thoughtfully. “That’s a new one on me,” she remarked. “Dad seems to have friends I know nothing about.”

  “Oh, the Major comes to the hotel frequently,” the clerk returned, smiling. “He and your father are well acquainted.”

  As the girls crossed the lobby to a drinking fountain, Louise said teasingly:

  “I’m afraid you’ve lost track of your father lately, Penny. You’ve been so upset about Mrs. Deline that you’ve scarcely noticed anything or anyone else.”

  “Dad’s been holding out on me, that’s evident. Wonder what he’s to call Major Gregg about?”

  “Why not wait up and see?”

  “Not a bad idea,” Penny approved instantly. “He and Mrs. Deline should be getting in anytime now.”

  “I’m not waiting up,” announced Louise with a sleepy yawn. “In fact, I’m on my way to bed this minute.”

  To prove her words she started for the elevator. Penny debated whether or not to follow and finally decided to remain in the lobby.

  An hour elapsed. Penny was half asleep by the time Mrs. Deline and Mr. Parker entered the hotel together. They were chatting animatedly and would not have seen her had she not scrambled from the wing chair.

  Seeing Penny, Mrs. Deline quickly bade Mr. Parker good night and vanished into an elevator.

  “You shouldn’t have waited up,” Mr. Parker chided his daughter. “Why, it’s nearly midnight.”

  “There’s an important message for you, Dad. You’re to call Major Gregg.”

  Mr. Parker looked disconcerted. “How long ago did that call come, Penny?”

  “About an hour ago. Or that’s when I learned of it.”

  Mr. Parker went quickly to a telephone booth and was gone for some time. When he returned his face was animated.

  “Good news?” Penny asked eagerly.

  “Not exactly,” Mr. Parker replied, sliding into a chair beside her and dropping his voice. “A message from Interceptor Headquarters. Monitoring machines have traced the outlaw radio station again. The broadcast finished about an hour ago.”

  “And where was the station located this time, Dad?”

  “Seemingly at or near the lighthouse.”

  “The lighthouse!” Penny exclaimed. She was so startled that her voice rose to a high pitch, attracting the attention of a passing bellboy.

  “Not so loud, Penny,” her father warned. “The strange thing was that the broadcast seemed to come from a cave, the same as before, although the monitoring machines charted it as being close to the lighthouse.”

  “The only one I know about near the Point is Crystal Cave,” Penny said thoughtfully. “Dad, maybe the broadcast did come from the lighthouse!”

  “That’s government property. Penny, and the man in charge is beyond suspicion. Furthermore, the deep, echo effect couldn’t come from anywhere except a cave.”

  “Unless it were a sound effect, Dad.”

  “What’s that?” Mr. Parker asked, startled. “I don’t get you, Penny.”

  “I mean, maybe the cave set-up is just a sound effect and nothing more. Only the other night I heard one in a radio play and it sounded as if the actors really were in a cave. Isn’t it done by an echo chamber or something of the sort?”

  “That would be possible,” Mr. Parker agreed. “At Interceptor Headquarters it was assumed that a mistake had been made in charting the location of the station.”

  “Then the lighthouse hasn’t been investigated?”

  “Not to my knowledge.”

  “Well, it should be!” Penny exclaimed. “Louise and I were there today and we saw—”

  “Yes?” Mr. Parker questioned as she suddenly broke off.

  “We saw a lot that didn’t look right,” Penny finished, deciding not to bring Mrs. Deline’s name into the discussion. “Mr. McCoy had visitors and while they were there he kept us locked up.”

  “My word! Why didn’t you report to the police?”

  “Well, we weren’t entirely sure,” Penny said lamely. “The door just closed and locked, and Mr. McCoy let on that it had a trick latch. Then he released us, but not until after the visitors had gone.”

  “Did you see the persons?”

  “No, we only heard their voices. We weren’t able to overhear any of the conversation.”

  Without explaining what he intended to do, Mr. Parker again closed himself into a telephone booth. Not until he returned did he tell Penny that he had called Interceptor Headquarters and that Army men had been sent to the lighthouse to make a thorough check-up.

  “Now it’s late,” he said briskly, “and you’re overdue for bed, Penny. Better fly up.”

  “Aren’t you coming?”

  “Not just now. I have a little unfinished business.”

  Penny hesitated, unwilling to go to bed when she sensed adventure
in the offing. As she groped in her mind for an excuse to remain, the doors at the front entrance to the hotel began to spin. Jerry came hurrying into the lobby. Seeing Penny and her father he made a straight line for them.

  “The code’s been broken!” he announced, addressing Penny.

  “What did they learn, Jerry?” she asked eagerly.

  “It’s just as you thought, Penny.” Jerry dropped his bombshell. “Mrs. Deline definitely is an Enemy Agent. Apparently she was sent to Sunset Beach to aid that escaped prisoner I told you about!”

  CHAPTER 23

  NIGHT ADVENTURE

  As Jerry made the startling announcement, Penny glanced anxiously at her father. In the excitement of the moment she had not thought how much of a shock it might be to him to learn that Mrs. Deline was an agent employed by a foreign country. To her astonishment, he looked neither surprised nor dismayed.

  “So you have the proof, Jerry!” Mr. Parker exclaimed. “That’s fine! But what’s all this about a code? How did you stumble onto it?”

  “No time for details now,” Jerry answered tersely. “Penny turned the trick—she and Louise saw Mrs. Deline bury a package in the sand.”

  “And Mrs. Deline brought that package from the lighthouse,” Penny interposed eagerly. “Mr. McCoy must have given it to her.”

  “What’s the plan of action?” Mr. Parker demanded. “Army men already have gone to the lighthouse to search that place thoroughly.”

  “Our job is to keep watch of the dune where the package was buried. Naturally we have no way of knowing what time anyone will show up there. It may be an all night wait.”

  “I’ll be with you in a minute,” Mr. Parker declared. “Just as soon as I get an overcoat.”

  He started toward the elevator, then came back to the group.

  “What about Mrs. Deline?” he asked. “She’s here in the hotel. Went to her room only a few minutes ago.”

  “She’ll be placed under arrest,” Jerry said. “Better call her on the telephone and get her down here. Don’t let her suspect that you think anything is wrong.”

  Mr. Parker vanished into the nearest telephone booth.

  “I can’t understand it,” Penny murmured to Jerry. “I was sure Dad was head over heels in love with Mrs. Deline. Why, it didn’t even seem to ruffle him when he learned the truth about her.”